Updated August, 2017
Garitsa Bay and the Old Fort Corfu Town
Tips
- Stay in the Garitsa Bay Area. Mayor Mon Repos Palace Art Hotel is an Adults Only hotel in an ideal waterfront location with great live entertainment in the restaurant/café most evenings.
- Catch the Number 2 bus to the Old Fort and Old Town from Mon Repos Palace Hotel. Buy bus tickets from Kiosks near most bus stops. Taxis are about 10€ to the Old Town.
- Don’t go searching for gay bars or gay clubs in Corfu Town, there are none. If you are looking for a gay Greek holiday, try Mykonos. But if you want a totally relaxing time on a beautiful island, Corfu is a great choice. There is one gay bar called Silk in the north of the island. However, the road up to it is a real challenge.
- The best time to visit Corfu is in the first two weeks of July and early September. Corfu is very crowded between mid July and late August.
- There are a myriad of bays and gorgeous swimming spots on Corfu. Water is very safe, clean and clear.
- Don’t miss walking the promenade around Garitsa Bay at sunset, the colours are magical.
- Issos Beach is one of the best sandy beaches on the island. From Corfu Town it is a forty-five minute drive following the signs to Lefkimmi. At Eleni take the right hand turn to Linia and then watch out for the signs to Issos Beach. Just before Issos Beach there is a wonderful Greek taverna/grill called Ammolofos. Beach parking is behind the sand dune. The beach is long, the water shallow and we hired sun beds and umbrellas from Arkie and Niko (cute) just before the wind surfing shop. You may meet some gay guys and local nudists on the beach if you walk far north.
- Mirtiotissa Beach, west of Corfu Town, is close to the picturesque hilltop town of Pelekas. When you arrive in Pelekas take the signs to Glyfada and then look for the signs to Myrtiotissa Beach. Park at the Taverna at the top of the very steep hill. Take the long walk down a paved road to this beautiful sandy beach guarded by sheer imposing cliffs. In August we found the beach very crowded with nudists and a good number of gay guys. ‘Sunbeds and umbrellas are available for hire. There is a small shop on the beach selling drinks and sandwiches. We highly recommend this beach for water quality, setting and probably the most gay experience on Corfu.
Mirtiotissa Beach
- In Corfu Town the Old Fort is definitely worth a visit. When inside the fort take the trail to the left it will lead you right around the back of the fort with excellent harbour and mountain views. The lighthouse at the top is great for pics all over Corfu Town.
- The old town is a World Heritage Site with its winding narrow streets, small squares, churches and former mansions.
- The open air restaurants along Liston Street are very touristy and expensive. You will do well to ignore most of these tourist traps and work your way deeper into the old town.
- In the City Hall Square you will find the Olive Tree restaurant which serves excellent traditional Greek food along with the Bougainvillea Taverna just above it. Veranda Restaurant on the waterfront in the New Fort area is a local favourite.
- Avli Restaurant not far from Mon Repos Palace Hotel has extremely friendly staff, the food is outstanding and you will be pleasantly surprised by the bill. Don’t miss this excellent traditional Greek dining experience.
- Azur is a new beautiful cafe/bar and night spot on the waterfront with fabulous views of the Old Fort and the bay. Azur is clearly aimed at the smart well-heeled young set with its austere whitewashed decor and, to quote the bar manager, “beautiful barmen”. She is absolutely right!
Club Azur is a very chic place for a drink on your stroll around Garitsa Bay.
- To see the whole of Corfu it is best to hire a SMALL car. Roads are narrow and very winding but we found driving reasonably easy. We used TP Car Hire and found them excellent. A car is a huge advantage as the best beaches and many tourist attractions are outside of Corfu Town.
- Don’t miss seeing Archilleon Palace. This superb royal mansion is a must see on your tour around the south east coast. (See Arcadian Splendor In Corfu for our story and photos of Archilleon Palace)
- We traveled to the north of Corfu and the roads are narrow, mountainous and dangerous in places. We spent a fun day at Barbati Beach which has great beach tavernas and the water is spectacular.
Barbati Beach
- Paleokastritsa by all accounts is a beautiful beach area but in mid summer the crowds make the beach overly crowded, so we took local advice and avoided this area.
- Our final tip is to leave plenty of time for your departure formalities at Corfu airport as it is small, very crowded and quite chaotic.
Tales
- Sitting high above the sea and slightly out of Corfu Town is Mon Repos Palace in Corfu. The main reason for our visit was to see the place where Prince Phillip, the Duke of Edinburgh, the husband of Queen Elisabeth II, was born on June 10th, 1921. Not sure whether we would call Mon Repos a palace or more a colonial mansion, built in 1826 by the British Commissioner Frederic Adams. The palace has seen better days, especially on the outside, as it was once the summer residence of all British governors of Corfu. Inside there are fourteen rooms, all well decorated and restored, housing many Ionian treasures. There is also a very good photographic exhibition depicting Corfu from about the 1840’s. There has been considerable argument over the ownership of the palace over the decades. In 2002, the European Court of Human Rights awarded compensation of 7 million euros to the former King Constantine for Mon Repos and two other properties lost when the monarchy was abolished in Greece, in 1975. The palace is set in a large park that could do with some attention. On our walk around the park we saw remains of the ancient town of Corfu. It is believed that Mon Repos was built right on the site where the ancient city of Corfu used to be. The views over the sea are amazing and entry to the Mon Repos Palace is 3€. When we left the Palace we asked the guide whether Prince Phillip had ever returned to see it. His answer was no! In a follow up question we asked was there a reason why? He said, ‘I can’t say but the answer lies with Prince Phillip’s father Prince Andrew (Andreas). Therein lies another tale.’ https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince_Andrew_of_Greece_and_Denmark
- We were having lunch in Corfu town on a very hot summer’s afternoon when we spotted five extremely hot shirtless men in blue shorts. Immediately we thought an Atlantis Cruise must be in town. We looked around but there were no other gorgeous creatures following them. The guys suddenly cleared a space in front of the restaurants and started their fabulous acrobatic show. They were unbelievably fit, performing flips, hand stands and various other acrobatic poses. They certainly got our attention with their chiselled bodies and their acrobatic acumen. After the show we just had to go over for a chat and introduce ourselves. We found out these friendly, fit young guys are from the Team Takam Acrobatic and Capoeira Show. They do shows at night but to earn a few extra euros they busk in the street during the day. The guys are from Brasil, Italy, Spain and Greece and travel with the show to various European countries. See more pics on (http://t.co/Uvpfiopdfj). They were very popular with the crowd and of course, we fell in love. So will you when you see the pics. Enjoy!
